


Friends in Love

by SeaxWitch



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Theo and Derek are the same age, oblivious idiots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-10
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2019-04-21 03:05:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14275578
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeaxWitch/pseuds/SeaxWitch
Summary: Derek and Theo have been best friends their whole lives. They’re also hopelessly in love with one another but too afraid to admit their feelings. It’s up to their siblings - Cora, Laura and Tara - to get these two knuckleheads together.





	Friends in Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [tabbytabbytabby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/gifts).



**_4 years old._ **

 

Theo is sulking. He slouches down in his blue plastic chair, glaring up at the clock hanging on the wall, he can’t actually tell time yet but he knows it’ll be hours before his parents come back to collect him. 

 

He angrily folds his arms as a sheet of blank paper is placed in front of him, glancing up at his teacher’s smiling face. “Theo, would you like to help me pass out the crayon pots?” 

 

Theo’s frown deepens as he slides his chair back, pushing himself to his feet. He stomps over to the arts and crafts shelves and picks up one of the pots. He looks down at the colourful bouquet of crayons, the green one instantly catches his eye, he really likes the colour green. He also really  _ hates _ sharing. Throwing a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure he’s not going to get in trouble, he removes each of the green crayons, one by one, from every single pot and slips them inside his dungaree pockets. Smiling to himself, he wraps his hands around two plastic pots and carefully makes his way to the nearest tables, placing them down on the edge. 

 

Dropping into his seat again, he pulls out one of the hidden crayons and begins scribbling away on his paper. Eventually, some of the other children notice his various shades of green and come over to ask if they can use one, Theo says no every single time. He finally has some quiet time, when a small dark shadow covers his paper yet again. He huffs out a sigh, looking up at the intruder. 

 

Standing there is a dark haired boy with a furrowed brow, holding out his drawing for Theo to see. “I need green. For my trees. I did a wolf in the woods, see-” he points at the grey and brown animal in the bottom corner. “-but no-one will know it’s the woods if I don’t have trees.”

 

Theo narrows his eyes, looking at the brown trunks on the page without their green tops. He looks up into the eyes of the boy standing over him and for the first time in his life, Theo  _ wants _ to share. Slowly he slides his hand into his pocket and pulls out a forest green crayon. The boy smiles brightly as he takes it from his hand and pulls out the chair beside him. “Whatcha’ drawing?” He asks, sitting down.

 

“A Kanima. It’s a monster that has scales and huge claws filled with poison” Theo says excitedly, adding sharp, pointy claws to one of the feet. 

 

The boy’s eyes light up as he stares at the picture, a wide smile appearing on his face. “That is  _ awesome _ . I’m Derek.”

 

“I’m Theo.”

 

* * *

 

**_8 years old._ **

 

“ _ Mom _ , hurry up” Derek whines as his mother sews a new button onto his coat.

 

“I’m almost finished” she says looping the needle through the small hole. “Why are you in such a rush anyway?”

 

“His  _ boyfriend _ is waiting on him” Laura scoffs from where she’s sitting on the stairs. Derek sticks his tongue out at his older sister.

 

“Derek!” His mom scolds, snipping the end of the thread with scissors. “All done. You can run along to see Theo now.” 

 

Laura laughs. “See, even mom knows he’s your boyfriend!”

 

“He’s  _ not _ my boyfriend” Derek growls.

 

“Oh yeah and what game are you two playing today?” Laura asks, tilting her head and giving him a smug look. She’s always been such a know-it-all.

 

“I- it’s my turn to slay the dragon and rescue him” Derek mumbles, his cheeks flushing pink as her laughter grows louder. 

 

He stomps his foot, staring pleadingly at his mother. She just shakes her head, smiling softly at him. “Go play with your friend Der. And  _ you _ young lady-” she says turning to face Laura, “-can wipe that smile off your face. Afterall, it wasn’t so long ago that I caught you playing doctors and nurses with the Thompson boy.”

“Mom!” He hears his sister shriek as he shuts the front door behind him. Smiling, he takes off running, heading through the trees towards the lake. The thought of seeing Theo is making his stomach do cartwheels, he just hopes the boy is still there waiting on him.

 

* * *

 

**_13 years old._ **

 

“You’re being too quiet. What are you thinking about?” Theo asks Derek, as they walk shoulder-to-shoulder along the sidewalk.

 

Derek hums. “I’m just thinking about how we’re going to take over the world one day” he says wagging his eyebrows, a lazy smile taking over his face.

 

“Oh gee, Brain” Theo laughs, rolling his eyes.

 

“If I’m Brain, you do realise that makes you Pinky right?” Derek chuckles, as Theo playfully punches his arm. “Ow” Derek laughs harder, rubbing at his arm.

 

Theo bites down on his lip in an effort to stop his growing smile. He  _ knows _ Derek wasn’t actually thinking about that, but the thought of them still being this close, way off in the distant future, makes him stupidly happy. He can’t imagine his life without Derek.

 

Derek pushes through the entrance to the store, holding the door open for Theo. They move through the aisles until they reach the slushie machine. Theo automatically grabs two plastic cups and starts filling them half-way before swapping them over, mixing the flavours - he’s always in charge of the drinks because Derek gets too anxious incase he over-fills them and they spill everywhere and he dies of embarrassment or something. Derek grabs two straws, shooting him a thankful smile as Theo secures lids onto their cups.

 

Theo keeps stealing glances at Derek as the boy pulls his wallet from his back pocket. Watching the ways his hands move as he hands over a crisp ten dollar bill before pocketing the small black leather wallet again. He knows he’s been caught staring when he glances back up to find Derek smirking at him, Theo can feel a hot flush creeping over his neck.

 

“Whoa” Derek proclaims, as they step back outside into the cool air. “It got dark out.”

 

Theo glances around at the vast darkness above them, his mouth twitching nervously. He tries to follow after Derek but his feet don’t want to budge. 

 

His friend spins on his heels, shooting him a questioning look. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of the dark T, aren’t you a little old for that?”

 

Theo drops is gaze to the concrete ground in front of his feet, he had really hoped Derek would never find out about this. He can hear his friends hurried footsteps growing closer.

 

“Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make fun of you.” Derek says quietly, smoothing his palm up and down Theo’s back. Theo’s eyes slip shut as goosebumps spread across his entire body from the small contact.

 

“I-it’s fine, it’s stupid”

 

“It’s not stupid. Come on-” Derek says slipping his hand into Theo’s, intertwining their fingers. “-i’ll walk you home.”

 

They talk about school, their families and a new game they both want to buy, on the walk to his house. Theo ignores the way his stomach flips every single time Derek smiles at him. 

 

“I wouldn’t drink that too fast, if I were you” Derek says nodding to the remainder of the slushie.

 

Theo rolls his eyes, sucking hard on the straw. A moment later he screws his eyes shut as a shooting pain moves across his head. “Ah fuck. Brain freeze!”

 

Derek snorts, “can’t say I didn’t warn you.”

 

“Text me when you get home?” Theo asks still rubbing at his temples, as they stop outside of his house. 

 

“Sure” Derek nods.

 

Theo moves quickly up the driveway, turning to shut the front door behind him. He smiles fondly when he sees Derek still standing on the sidewalk. The boy lifts his hand giving him a small wave before crossing the street. Theo leans back against the closed door, unable to contain his smile. He can’t believe Derek stayed until he was inside.

 

“What are you so happy about?” He hears his sister’s voice ask from the hallway.

 

“N-nothing” he stutters.

 

Tara hums, pulling back the net curtain. “ _ Oh”  _ she says knowingly, watching as Derek’s retreating back moves further into the distance. 

 

“What?” Theo asks, a tense edge to his voice. “He’s my friend, is he not allowed to walk me home?”

 

“Why do you always refuse to see what’s right in front of you, little brother?” Tara sighs, shaking her head.

 

Theo doesn’t want to dwell on what she could possibly mean by that, too afraid he already knows the answer.

 

* * *

 

**_15 years old._ **

 

Derek stares at Theo with warm eyes, smiling at the way he tilts his head back as he laughs heartily at something Derek just said. His heart starts to race as he watches the boy’s throat vibrate from the beautiful sounds. 

 

The smile falls from his face when a petite girl slinks up next to Theo, placing her manicured hand on his shoulder. “Hey, Theo” she smiles seductively, leaving an uneasy feeling in Derek’s stomach.  

 

Theo straightens up, a momentary look of discomfort crosses his face. “Oh, uh, hey Alannah. What’s up?”

 

Derek eyes are focused on the way Alannah keeps squeezing Theo’s shoulder as she talks. “Well, I was hoping you’re free tomorrow night and want to take me out?” 

 

His jaw clenches as his eyes flicker briefly to Theo’s face before looking away, waiting helplessly for his answer. “Um” he can feel Theo’s eyes on him, but he can’t bring himself to lift his gaze from the table. “S-sure, yeah” Theo finally responds, his eyes glancing briefly at Derek again. “I guess that’d be okay.”

 

Derek digs his nails into his palm as a wave of anger and sadness washes over him. He inhales a shaky breath, trying to quash the stabbing jealousy coursing over his skin and working its way into his bloodstream, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth.

 

“Der” Theo’s voice breaks him from the thoughts whirling through his mind.

 

“ _ What?”  _ Derek snaps. 

 

He winces as Theo recoils in his chair. “What’s wrong?” He asks softly.

 

“ _ Nothing _ , Theo. Just go be with your little cheerleader, I’m out of here” Derek sneers, getting to his feet.

 

“ _ Alannah? _ Is that what this is about? Do- do you _ like _ her or something?” Theo asks, a puzzled expression on his face. “I don’t- I didn’t even want to say yes but she was just standing there, staring at me and..I felt bad.”

 

Derek scoffs, his lip curling. “Yeah, it really seemed like it. Do what you want Theo.” He grabs his bag from the floor and storms off towards the park’s exit, ignoring the hurt look on Theo’s face.

 

The further away he gets from the park, the worse he feels. He can’t believe he blew up at Theo like that. It feels all wrong, they aren’t supposed to argue like this. Derek feels heavy as the guilt hits him like a tonne of bricks, he walks the rest of the way home with his head bowed, kicking frustratedly at stray stones. 

 

He slams the front door behind him, tears stinging at his eyes. He just needs to make it to his room and everything will be-

 

“Derek?” Laura calls out, emerging from the kitchen. Her eyes widen as she takes in his disheveled appearance. “Oh my god, is everything okay?”

 

“M’fine” he sniffs. “Theo and I had a fight, that’s all” he hates the way his voice breaks as he says the boy’s name.

 

“ _ Oh Der”  _ she says sympathetically, pulling him into a hug. “When are you two gonna pull your heads out of your asses?”

 

* * *

 

**_Present Day - 17 years old._ **

 

“Look at this!” Laura screeches, turning the laptop screen towards Cora.

 

“This is Derek’s laptop..” Cora says slowly, her eyes narrowed. “Are you going through his search history and emails? I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.”

 

Laura sighs, dropping her arms down by her side. “Regardless of how the information is obtained, it doesn’t change the fact that our dear brother is  _ pathetic _ in the romance department. He needs our help. Just look-” She points at the screen.

 

“How to fall out of love with your best friend” Cora reads, letting out a low whistle. “You’re right, he’s a mess. So what do we do about it?”

 

“We’re going to need some reinforcements, I’ll call Tara” Laura declares, leaning over the arm of the couch to grab her phone from where it’s charging on the table.

 

* * *

 

Tara throws her phone onto the bed, swiftly leaving her bedroom in search of Theo. She knocks loudly on his door, once, twice..

 

“What?” Theo answers as the door swings open.

 

“I need you to do me a favour-”

 

“Does it involve leaving the house?” Theo interrupts.

 

“Well, yeah, I mean-”

 

“Nope. No way. It’s raining outside and I’m comfy here” he shakes his head vigorously, moving back over to his bed.

 

Tara sighs, if she’s going to get her annoying little brother to cooperate then it’s time to pull out the big guns. “Okay, that’s fine” she says nonchalantly. “I guess I’ll just take this over to Derek’s house myself then.”

 

“Wait,  _ Derek’s _ ?” Theo jumps to his feet. “I’ll go.”

 

She raises an eyebrow at him as he coughs awkwardly, looking at the floor. 

 

“Uh-huh. Laura needs printer ink, so take this-” she holds out the small plastic bag. “And get going kiddo.”

 

* * *

 

Theo pulls his beanie further down his forehead and steps out into the cold, wet rain. He slides the small carrier bag into his hoodie pocket, shielding it from the large droplets of water beating down from the sky. He walks briskly, hoping to make it to Derek’s house before he’s completely drenched.

 

As he runs up Derek’s driveway, he feels water splash up his trouser leg. He pauses on the porch to shake the excess water from his sneaker before ringing the bell. Theo’s face lights up when he sees Derek moving towards him, through the glass panel on the door.

 

“Hi..” Derek smiles shyly. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

 

Theo smiles back, shrugging his shoulder. “I come bearing gifts” he says holding up the bag.

 

Derek steps back, allowing Theo inside. They head into the living room where Derek proceeds to fall back onto the couch. Theo stands awkwardly, dropping the bag onto the coffee table. When he turns around, Derek lifts his feet from the couch cushion, making space for him to sit down. Theo grins as he slides into the space, pushing down on Derek’s legs until they’re over his lap.

 

“So, what did you bring?” Derek asks, reaching for the bag.

 

“Oh it’s just-”

 

“Whoa” Derek says breathily, his round eyes growing bigger. 

 

* * *

 

Derek feels the air rush out of his lungs as he stares at the items in the bag. Is Theo trying to tell him something? He glances up, his curious eyes meeting Theo’s confused one’s.

 

“Is this a joke?” Derek says tonelessly.

 

“ _ What? _ I thought you needed it” Theo frowns.

 

He pulls his legs away from Theo, placing his feet onto the wooden floor. He stares blankly into the bag again, feeling like he’s missing something. He throws the bag gently at Theo. “I don’t get it are you-”

 

“Oh my god” Theo yelps, pouring the contents of the bag into his lap. The boy swallows loudly, staring wildly at the packet of condoms and lube.

 

“A-are you making fun of me for being gay?” Derek stammers, growing hot.

 

Theo stiffens. “You’re gay?” He whispers, his voice barely audible.

 

The loud bang of the living room door slamming shut, distracts them both. “You’ll be stuck in here until you can finally start being honest with one another. Idiots” Laura calls from the other side.

 

“Open the door” Derek growls, thumping his fist against it.

 

“No, she’s right” Theo says quietly.

 

Derek spins around, surprised by how small and vulnerable Theo sounds. He walks silently back over to the couch, sitting down at the far end, creating some distance between them.

  
  


“I didn’t know you were gay..all this time and-” Theo shakes his head. “Tara told me it was printer ink” he gestures to the items on the table. “I wouldn’t do that to you... It’d be pretty hypocritical of me.”

 

Derek’s jaw drops open as he stares wordlessly at Theo’s face.

 

* * *

 

Theo’s leg begins to shake anxiously as he continues to talk. “I’m not sure how it happened but-” he exhales slowly. “That’s a lie. I know exactly how it happened, you’re fair, honest and loyal to the core. You’re a bunch of oxymorons rolled into one attractive, brooding body - and then you’re apologetic about being such a contradiction” he laughs. “I thrive in the limelight but you’re happy to be out of it, we balance each other out in the best possible way. You’re curious about everything, you need facts to understand things and you’re not easily duped. And I find it adorable that you’re a total nerd for puzzles.” he smiles softly. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, I’ve been  in love with you since we were thirteen years old, Der.”

 

Derek stares blankly at him, for a moment too long. _Fuck_ , Theo thinks to himself, he needs to fix this. “I’m sorry. I uh-” Theo brings his hand up to rub at his neck. “-can we just pretend I never said any of that?” Theo nods to himself as he moves towards the door before remembering Laura has them held hostage.

 

“I’m not good with words, not like you are. I fell in love with your words first.” Derek says, smiling fondly. “You make me smile like no-one else can. Even on the saddest days,  _ you _ can make me laugh - sometimes for the stupidest reasons. You’re caring, even though you’d sooner die than admit it” Derek smirks at him as he makes an indignant noise. “And I’ve never met anyone else that hates small talk as much as we both do. I want to talk about atoms, aliens, death, magic, the meaning of life and what keeps you up at night, until we’re old and grey.”

 

Time stops as Derek crosses the room, pulling Theo into his arms and pinning his against the wall. Theo’s barely breathing but he feels very much alive as their lips meet and suddenly Derek is kissing him. 

 

The door next to them creaks open just a sliver, they pull apart to see Laura covering her eyes with her hand. “It sounds like you’re making progress, so _for god sake_ , take the bag and go up to your room. I don’t think Mom would ever forgive either of you if you have sex on her couch.”

 

Derek hides his face in Theo’s shoulder, muttering something about hating his sister. He lifts his head, sliding his hand into Theo’s. “Let’s go.”

 

“One sec” Theo says, jogging over to the coffee table and putting the items back into the bag. “What?” He asks innocently, in response to Derek’s raised eyebrows. “It’s just incase..”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, you're thoughts and feelings make my day :)


End file.
